About Our Organization

Mission StatementBroad Spectrum Veterinary Student Association’s mission is to connect, support and empower community for LGBT+* students and allies across veterinary education.*LGBT + will be used as an inclusive acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer,Questioning, Asexual and others who self-identify on the sexual orientation and/or gender expression continuums.

Vision StatementBroad Spectrum desires greater support and a sense of community for all LGBT+ students and allies throughout veterinary medical education. We actively strive to counter episodes of bigotry and marginalization with positive messages of diversity and inclusion. We have healthy, supportive and encouraging relationships with pre-veterinary, veterinary and graduate students, faculty, staff and administrators. We are known for advocating for the respect and equality of seen and unseen LGBT+ members in the academic veterinary community and beyond. We contribute to the development of safe and welcoming veterinary school environments for pre- and current veterinary students. Broad Spectrum makes veterinary schools more inclusive for all students, especially LGBT+ students. We accomplish this by starting important and courageous conversations about LGBT+ inclusion, in addition to maintaining much needed support for LGBT+ students in veterinary medicine.Our HistoryWe were founded in 2011 at the SAVMA Symposium hosted by UC Davis. The name 'Broad Spectrum' came out of a calculated attempt to be as inclusive as possible to any student who falls anywhere on the spectra of sexuality, sex, or gender. We welcome all students no matter their sexuality, gender identity, or gender expression. And yes, allies, this means we welcome you, too!

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Did you know that Ross is one of the largest AVMA accredited veterinary institutions, but has one of the smallest campuses? We had no idea!

The students as RUCVM provided us with some excellent history of St. Kitts to give students from the states an idea of what its like living in the Caribbean (the bad and the good).

"St. Kitts is traditionally a devoutly religious island founded by Christopher Columbus and first claimed by Spain in 1493 and lastly by Britain in 1783. It is extremely historic and the island demands a lot of respect for being such a historical landmark in ancient history. It has evolved from a combination of West African traditions of slave populations with additions of French and British colonist. Following its independence from England in 1983 several historic Anglican churches remain with over 50% of the population still practicing this religion. St. Kitts has a very vibrant culture with legislation still in place that criminalizes homosexuality amongst males."

RUSVM spectrum Club helps give LGBT students and allies a safer sense of community on campus.
there is no LGBT support outside of the university!

"The LGBT students of RUSVM do their research before arriving to the island and participate in a thorough orientation that lasts for more than a week. Here we all learn what our life will be like for the next two and half years. Will we hate it? Will we “suck it up” and just hide who we are? Do we never venture out into the community? Are we going to feel safe? Who can I go to for help? These and many other questions run rapidly through our head, but we soon realize that we are visitors in this country and there isn’t much we can do to change the culture of an entire country. Instead we learned that the citizens of St. Kitts are more accepting than we realized and demonstrate respect for who we are as long as we give them the respect they deserve."

RUSVM students have ties to the community and organize local events.

RUSVM Spectrum now active! Members keep up on LGBT topics in the news and use Facebook to keep in touch outside of class. They host socials to build LGBT and ally student community, LGBT friends in the local community, and studnets at other universities on the island.

Monday, January 27, 2014

The LGVMA has announced the winners of their annual Student Leadership Awards for 2013!

The LGVMA has provided these awards to students interested in participating in leadership conferences that will facilitate their participation in organized veterinary medicine and to students developing programs in line with the LGVMA's mission and vision. The mission and vision are detailed in the original call for applications posted on this blog.

LGVMA Vision: “The LGVMA is the professional organization that
fosters acceptance, inclusivity and leadership for veterinarians,
veterinary technicians, and veterinary students, of all sexual
orientations and gender identities, and their allies, through community
development, professional advocacy, and personal empowerment.”

Congratulations to Randi E.
Frankle, at the University of California, and Celena Quist, at Oklahoma State University.

Both winners plan to use their awards to create a more inclusive environment at their veterinary school. According to the LGVMA press release "both demonstrated a history of leadership on campus and had
strong plans to support the betterment of animal care and human
acceptance." Randi E. Frankle plans to reestablish the student chapter of the LGVMA at UC Davis and jump start the organization with lectures and networking events to help build community. We wish Randi the best developing an inclusive environment at UC Davis for LGBT members of the veterinary community at UC Davis. Celena Quist plans to establish an educational program to "create a positive, enlightening experience for non-LGBTQ college community members". This programing will include invited speakers, activities and discussions that educate individuals on the use of inclusive language and explain the importance of allies. Celena hopes these activities will help create a safe space and promote mutual understanding at Oklahoma State.

We're very happy to spread this news to other students. Congratulate these students if you know them! Don't forget that support from Hill's Pet Nutrition and Zoetis make these awards possible!